Fact #10 - The first Angel

The first player picked in the 1961 expansion draft by the Angels was New York Yankees pitcher Eli Grba. Eli would start the franchise's first game in 1961 and would pitch a complete game in a 7-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles.
Grba would pitch only five major league seasons, finishing with one winning season. In his first season with the new Halos, Eli would finish 11-13 with a 4.25 ERA while throwing over 211 innings. It would be the only time in his short career he would have double digit wins and losses. It would also be only the second time in his five years he would throw over 100 innings.
His career would end with the Angels in 1963 at the age of 28. However he will always be remembered for being the first drafted, first to throw a pitch, and first to get a halo victory.